Towel-vending machine



C. E. SHANKLIN AND C. B.. BURGE.

TOWEL VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED Aus. I4, I920.

193859953 Patented July I9, i921.,

l'l TUR/VE) C. E. SHANKLIN AND C. BAI BURGE.

lTOWEL VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.I4I 1920A l 3 Patented July 19, 1921.,

C. E. SHANKLIN AND C. B. BURGE. TOWEL VENDING MACHINE. l APPLICATION FILED AUG. I4. 1920.

D T :I l aaented Jah I9. 192i.,

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CLARENCE E. SHANKLIN AND CLARENCE B. BURGE, 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 19, 11921..

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CLARENCE E. SHANK- LIN and CLARENCE B. BURGE, citizens of the` United States, and residents of Boston, in the county of Suffolk, in the State of Massachusetts, have jointly invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Towlel- Vending Machines, of which the following is a specilication, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

The immediate object of this invention is to provide reasonably simple mechanism by means of which clean and sanitary sections of toweling may be obtained; said mechanism being, preferably, controlled as to its operations by dropping into the machine a coin of some predetermined value.

. For the purpose of explaining our said invention clearly we have provided the annexed drawings, in which the Figure 1 is a perspective view of a towel-vending machine embodying our present improvements. Fig. 2 is a transverse, vertical, sectional, view of said machine taken at the line 2--2 of Fig. 5, and Fig. 3 is a relatively enlarged like view taken at the line y3 3 of said Fig. 5. Fig. 4 is a like enlarged view, in elevation, of the right hand portion of the machine as illustrated in Fig.- 5 and said Fig. 5 is an interior view of the machine with the front plate of the cabinet removed.

Fig. 6 is a detail view of the arm and bar formingn a portion of the mechanism for ringing the bell signal. Figs. 7 and 8 are detail views of a portion of the mechanism for holding the sliding barin its raised position and for ringing the bell when saidbar is released.

ln these drawings the reference numeral 10 indicates a cabinet of suitable size and shape to inclose and protect the operative parts of our towel-'vending mechanism; said cabinet including a hinged, or removable,

section 11 in which is, preferably, mountedamirror 12. The towel-supporting means includes'a delivery roll 13 upon whichthe clean towel is first coiled, a take-up roll 14 and guide rolls 15, 16 and 17 located at the bottom of the cabinet, all of said rol-ls being journaled in the end walls of the cabinet or in bearings secured to said cabinet. The free end portion of the clean towel is passed down between the rolls 15 and 16 and then back between the rolls 16 and 17 and, finally, to and around the take-up roll 1.4; a portion of the 'clean towel being left in suspension below the cabinet, as seen in Fig. 1 of the drawings. Secured to one end of the takeup roll 14 is a handle 18 by means of which the machine may -be operated whenever it is, desired to deliver a. section of clean towel and to withdraw into the cabinet the eX- posed section which, it is assumed, is soiled.

In order to deliver a stated length of clean towel at each operation of the machine we have provided the mechanism illustrated in Figs. 2 and 5 of the drawings, consisting ofpa band 19 which is mounted on spools 21-22 that are secured, respectively, to the towel rolls 13 and 14, and an endless driving belt 23 which incloses, and moves with it, the band 19. Said band is approximately the same length as the toweling and 1s adapted to be unwound from the upper spool, 21, and rewound upon the lower spool by the rotary action of the take-up roll 14, in order to maintain the required ratio of rotation between rolls 14 and 13 and to thus deliver a stated length of clean towel at each operation of the machine. During such operation, the band 19, as it passes from spool 21 to spool 22, serves ineffe'ct to build up the diameter of spool 22 to correspond with the increased diameter of the take-up roll 14 as the soiled towel section is being wound upon said take-up' roll. As the take-up roll and the connected spool 22 are being rotated (by means of handle 18) the endless belt 23 operates to rotate the delivery roll 13 and, through the medium of the band 19, the rotary travel of the deli-very roll is speeded up while the take-up roll is slowed `down to correspond to the movements of the towel. The rotary movements of the delivery roll 13 and the take-up roll 14 are restricted, under certain conditions, by means of ratchet mechanism which we will now eX- plain. Secured ixedly to' the roll 13 is a ratchet wheel 24 and secured iixedly to the roll 14 is a ratchet wheel 25, said wheels being engaged, respectively, by pawls or rather by bolts 26 and 27 carried by a bar 28 that is mounted to 'slide a limited distance in bearings 29 `and 30 secured to the end wall of the cabinet. Fulcrumed at 31, in a block 32, is a lever arm 33 whose inner end portion is connected to a link 34-that is slotted as at 34"* to receive a pin 281l which is fixed in the slidable bar 28; the other end of the said lever arm 33 being bent as at 35 so as to project thro-ugh a curved slot 36 in the cabinet wall, .the exposed end of the lever arm having mounted thereon a handle 37 by means of which the lever arm may be operated from the outside of the cabinet whenever it is desired to slide the bar 28 to withdraw the bolts 26 and 27 from engagement with their respective ratchet wheels. A spring 38 on the inside of the cabinet serves to return the lever arm 33 to its normal position, and a spring 39 serves to return the sliding bar 28 to its normal (lowermost) position.

We will now describe a bell signal and mechanism for operating the same at each complete rotation of the belt 23, which signal acts as a notice to the operator of the machine that the ystated length of clean towel has been delivered. Secured to said belt is a radial lug 39a which is adapted to engage and rock a dog 40 that is fixedly mounted on a rocker shaft 4l which is journaled in bearings at the back of the cabinet, said rocker shaft being of such length that it extends to the other end of the cabinet (see Fig. 5) where it has mounted on it a radial arm 42 which is hinged to one end of a bar 43. Hinged on a stud 44 is a dog 45, said stud extending through a slot 28b in the sliding bar 28 and being mounted in a plate 46 that is fastened to the cabinet; theupper or free end of the dog being formed with an extension 45a that engages the edge portion of an angle plate 47 (carried by the said sliding bar) when the dog is in its normal position, as seen in full lines in Figs. 3 and 7. Under vcertain con ditions, which we will describe in detail, the dog 45 is swung to one side, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 7, thus permitting the bar 28 to drop slightly and thus serve to block thereturn of the dog to its normal position. The free end portion of the bar 43, already mentioned, is slotted and is loosely connected with the dog 45 by means of a screw 48,the. slot in the bar 43 being formed with an angular offset portion 49. When theseveral parts are in their active positions the`screw 48v lies in the offset 49, the arrangement being such that, when the bar 43 is moved endwise, by reason of the rocking of the rod 41, the dog 45 will be swung on its pivot into the dotted line position, Fig. 7, and will be temporarily latched in that position by the slight downward movement of the bar 28. Extending laterally from the dog 45 is a wire 50 which has secured to its free end a ball 51 which is swung upward by the lateral movement of the dog 45 and is thus caused to strike a bell 52 that is secured to the cabinet 10, thus notifying, audibly, the operator of the machine that the required length of clean towel has been delivered. The dog is returned to its normal position by a Vspring 53 which is coiled around the stud 44, one end of the sping being secured to the dog and the other end being secured to a stud lin the plate 46. Fast to the roll 14 adjacent to the ratchet 25 is another ratchet 61, the teeth of which are oppositely arranged to the teeth of the ratchet 25. A pawl 62 mounted upon a stud 63 is forced into engagement with the ratchet 61 by a spring 64 and prevents the roll 14 from being r0- tated in a reverse direction to unwind the toweling therefrom unless the pawl 62 is disengaged from the ratchet 61.

The operation of our machine, described briefly, is as follows, assuming that a piece of clean toweling has been wound upon the roll 13 and that the major portion of the band 19 is likewise wound upon the spool 21. The handle 37 is grasped and drawn downward in the slot 36 to slide the bar 28 upward sufliciently to disengage the pawls 26 and 27 from the ratchet wheels 24 and 25 and allow the spring 53 to force the dog 45 beneath the angle plate 47 in a position to thereafter support the sliding bar 28 in its raised position when the handle 37 is released. The crank 18 may then be used to rotate the take-up roll 14 and thus, through the described action of the belt 23 and band 19,' to rotate the delivery roll 13 and thereby deliver a stated length of clean towel. Upon the completion of a single circuit ofthe belt 23 the lug 39, carried by said belt, engages the dog 40 on rod 41 and rocks said rod sufiiciently to cause the bar 43 to rock the dog 45 into the dotted line position, Fig. 7, and, by the same movement of dog 45,to swing the bell clapper 51' into contact with the bell 52. By the same action the sliding bar 28 drops slightly and locates the angle plate 47 in the return path of the dog 45. The machine is then locked against the further withdrawal of the clean toweling until the operations just described are repeated.

Whilethe machine may be operated as we have described we, preferably, provide coin-Operated means of some practical construction whereby the machine is locked until such time as proper payment has been made for the use of a clean towel section by depositing in the machine a stipulated coin. Pivoted at 54 on the' inside of the cabinet is a lever arm 55 one of whose ends extends upward to a point directly under 'the lever 'arm 33 and in a position where it blocks the downward movement of said lever arm. The other end of the lever 55 has secured thereto a cup 56 which is suitably positioned to receive a coin as the latter is passed into the cabinet through a slot 57. The weight of the coin is sufficient to rock the lever 55 until its upper end e11- gages a spring-resisted arm 58. The lever arm 33 is then free to be'moved downward and. when it reaches the upper end of the lever 55, it forces the latter down still far- 'assente Q ther (the resistance 58 yielding temporarily) until the lever 55 reaches the dotted line position seen in Fig. 3, when the cup dumps the coin into a suitable receptacle 60.

Having thus described our invention, we claim l. A towel vending machine having, in combination, a delivery roll, a take-up roll, a strip of toweling wound around said delivery roll and extending to and around said talee-up roll, a spool vtast to each of said rolls, a band of sheet material wound around said spools to correspond to the toweling wound around said rolls, means to rotate said take-up roll and an endless belt extending around said spools upon said band and driven by frictional engagement withsaid band.

2. A towel vending machine having, in combination, a delivery roll, a take-'up roll, a strip of towelingwound around said delivery roll and extending to and around said take-up roll, a spool fast to each of said rolls, a band of sheet material wound around said spools to correspond to the toweling wound around said rolls, means to rotate said take-up roll, an endless belt extendin around said spools upon said band and driven by frictional engagement with said band and means operated by said belt adapted to deliver a predetermined length of toweling with each operation of said machine.

3. A towel vending machine having, in

combination, a delivery roll, a take-up roll,

a strip of toweling wound around said delivery roll and extending to and around said take-up roll, a spool fast to each of said rolls, a band of sheet material wound around said spools to correspond toy the toweling wound around said rolls, means to rotate said take-up roll, an endless belt extending around said spools upon said band and driven by rictional engagement with said band and means operated by said belt adapted to lock said rolls 'against rotation after each operation of said machine.

4. A towel vending machine having, in combination, a delivery roll, a take-up roll, a strip of toweling wound around said delivery roll and extending to and around .said take-up roll, a spool fast to each of said rolls, a band of sheet material wound around said spools to correspond to the toweling wound around said rolls, means to rotate said take-up roll, an endless belt extending around said spools upon said band and 'driven by frictional engagement with said band, means operated by said belt adapted to lock said rolls against rotation after each operation of said machine and means for releasing said locking means.

5. A towel lvending machine having, 1n combination, a delivery roll, ai take-up roll., a strip of toweling wound around said delivery roll and extending to and around said 'talee-up roll, va spool fast to each of said .operation of the machine.

6. A towel vending machine having, in combination, a delivery roll, a take-up roll, aI strip of toweling wound around said delivery roll and extending to and aroiuid'said take-up roll, a spool fast to each of said rolls, a band of sheet material wound around said spools toI corrispond to the toweling wound around said rolls, means to rotate said take-up roll, an endless belt extending around said spools upon said band and driven by frictional engagement with said band and means operated by said belt adapted to simultaneously lock said rolls after each operation of said machine and audibly indicate the completion of said operation.

7. A towel vending machine having, in

combination, a delivery roll, a take-up roll,

operated by said belt adapted to lock said rolls against rotation after each operation of said machine and coin control means for releasing said'locking means.

8.. A towel vending machine having, in

combination, a delivery roll, a take-up roll, a strip of toweling wound around said delivery roll and extending to and around said take-up roll, a spool fast to each of said rolls, a band of sheet material wound around said spools to correspond to the toweling wound around said rolls, means to rotate said takeup roll, an endless belt extending around said spools upon said band and driven by frictional engagement with said band, means operated by said belt adapted to deliver a predetermined length of toweling with each operation of said machine, and to lock said rolls against rotation after each voperation of said machine and means to audibly indicate the completion of said operation.

9. A towel vending machine having, in combination, a delivery roll, a take-up roll, a strip of toweling wound around said delivery roll and extending to and around said take-up roll, a spool fast to each f said rolls, a band of sheet material wound around said spools to correspond to the toweling wound around said rolls, means to rotate said take-up roll, an endless belt extending around said spools upon said band and driven by frictional engagement with said band, means operated by said belt adapted to deliver a predetermined length of toweling with each operation of said machine, and to lock said rolls against rotation after each operation of said machine, means to audibly indicate the completion of said operation and coin controlled means for releasing said locking means.

10. A towel vending machine having, in combination, a delivery roll, a take-up roll, a strip of toweling wound around said delivery roll and extending to and around said take-up roll, a spool fast to each of said rolls, a band of sheet material wound around said spools to correspond to the toweling wound around said rolls, means to rotate said take-up roll, an endless belt extending around said spools upon said band and driven by frictional engagement with said band, va ratchet wheel fast to each of said rolls, a sliding bar, pawls fast to said sliding bar adapted to engage said ratchets to prevent the rotation of said rolls in onsdirection, means to prevent the rotation of said rolls in a reverse direction, means to raise said bar tovdisengagesa'id pawls from said ratchets, means to hold said bar in its raised position and means operated by said endless belt adapted to release said bar and allow said pawls to again engage said ratchets.

11. A towel vending machine having, in combination, a delivery roll, a take-up roll, a strip of toweling wound around said delivery roll and extending to and around said take-up roll, a spool fast to each of said rolls, a band of sheet material wound around said spool to correspond to the toweling wound around said rolls, means to rotate said takeup roll, an endless belt extending around `said spools upon said band and driven by frictional engagement with said band, a ratchet wheel fast to each ofsaid rolls, a sliding bar, pawls fast to said sliding bar adapted to engage Said ratchets to prevent a strip of toweling wound around said delivery roll and extending to and around said take-up roll, a spool fast to each of said rolls, a band of sheet material wound around saidspools to correspond to the toweling wound around said rolls, means to rotate Said take-up roll, an endless belt extending around said spools upon said band and driven by frictional en agement with said band, a ratchet wheel ast to each of said rolls, a sliding bar, pawls 'fast to said sliding bar adapted to engage said ratchets to prevent the rotation of said rolls in one direction, means to prevent the rotation of said rolls in a reverse direction, means to raise said bar to disengage said pawls from said ratchets, a dog adapted to hold said bar in its raised position, a bell, a striker fast to said dog and means operated by said endless belt adapted to rock said dog and thereby release said bar and allow said pawls to again engage said ratchets and also ring said bell, and coin operated means to prevent said sliding bar from being raised.

CLARENCE E. SHANKLIN. CLARENCE B. BUR-GE. 

